Anyone out there that can tell me how to make or purchase realistic looking poles/ glass insulators in N.
I have seen several pics but no articles that I can find to do so.
Thanks
Hi!
The commercial telephone poles work just fine, if you weather them with "dirty brown/black" flat paint, and dab the insulators with metallic blue or green paint (like the kind used for model autos). I have a few of the real insulators from the 40s/50s and they are a light green glass, but when the sun hits them they really shine. Soooo, on my layout the dab of metallic paint looks pretty good - in my opinion of course.
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
might go to Michaels or hobby lobby and check in the bead section. Seems like they would be so tiny in N scale, that you wouldnt notice they were beads. Just a thought.
Bill,
Rix makes some very nice looking 30' and 40' poles in HO that are only $6/pack. However, I'm not sure if they come in N-scale though. They come in poles-only kits, crossarm-only kits, and pole & crossarm kits.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I've heard of using light green nail polish to make insulators glisten like green glass. I haven't tried it, but I think it might work.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Green, blue or white pearlescent nail polish is what you want. A local HO modeler who strings "wire" on his pole lines uses that on commercial plastic poles with crossarms and insulators and it looks very good.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
I used Gunze Sangyo "Aqueous Hobby Color" H89 - Metallic Green. I found it in the model car department of my LHS. It applies easily with a brush, and, in my opinion, looks pretty decent on these Atlas HO scale poles:
Wayne
I paint them white, and then coat them with Green Stained Glass Paint.
That gives them the translucent look and glow of the real thing.
These are in N
and HO
hey Guys,
I thought I would chime in on this, in anwser to your question on the Rix telephone poles, they ONLY come in HO scale, I"m a Nscaler and I called them last week on the very same matter, I wsh they would make them in Nscale.
Trainsrme1
Dr Wayne & River Eagle,
Not only do your glass insulatore look like the real thing, but your scenes are oustanding. I couldn't resist commenting.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Thank you for the kind words, Bob. I have to agree with you about River Eagle's scenes, too: both are very well-done, but the one in N scale is particularly impressive.